The present invention relates to casino video games. More specifically, the present invention is a multiple hand video poker game that includes the possibility of a chance improvement of a hand by cards from another hand.
Video draw poker is well known. In the conventional game of video draw poker known in the art, a gaming device is provided wherein the player makes a wager and the device""s processor selects from a data structure containing data representing cards in a deck of playing cards, five cards to be displayed face up to represent an initial hand. The player selects which, if any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold and prompts the processor to discard the remaining cards. The discarded cards are replaced with replacements selected from the data structure to produce a final hand outcome of a five card poker hand. The video draw poker device compares the final outcome to the pre-determined winning combinations also stored in a data structure, these combinations frequently representing ranked poker hands. If the player""s final outcome matches a winning combination, the player is rewarded. Otherwise, the final outcome is deemed to be a loss and the player""s wager is retained.
In a variation of video draw poker, multiple hands may be provided. As with conventional video draw poker, the device""s processor randomly deals five cards to a player for an initial hand. The player selects which, if any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold. Prior to drawing replacement cards for the initial hand, the held cards are copied into the other hands. The player prompts the processor to discard the remaining cards and additional cards are drawn to replace the discarded cards. The processor then repeats the draw step for the additional hands. Thus, a player receives multiple opportunities to draw to the same held cards.
The method of the present invention is a game utilizing playing cards. At least one playing card is designated a substitute card; optionally a set of cards may be designated substitute cards. Also, a substitution pattern is defined for the substitute cards.
In the wagering form of the game, a player makes a wager for each player hand of cards to be dealt. After the wagers are placed, a first player hand of playing cards is dealt face up. The number of cards in a hand may vary, but it is contemplated that any number between two and five may be selected. The first player hand is played to completion. For example, in an optional embodiment based on Draw Poker, five cards are dealt and the player selects zero or more cards to be held. Cards not held are discarded and the first player hand is completed by dealing additional cards to replace the discarded cards.
At least one additional player hand of cards is dealt. While the number of cards could vary, it is contemplated that the additional player hands will each include the same number of cards as the first player hand.
If any of the additional player hands contain one or more cards designated as substitute cards, the substitute cards will replace one or more cards in another player hand according to the predefined substitution pattern, so long as the substitution improves the poker ranking of the hand receiving the substitute card. In other words, the substitute card will replace any card of another hand, according to the predefined substitution pattern, if doing so improves the poker rank of the receiving hand. This process will be repeated for each of the hands.
It is contemplated that the substitution pattern could take any form. For example, in one optional embodiment, the cards of the player hands are arranged into arrays and any substitute card may only replace a card in a corresponding array position in another player hand. In a another optional embodiment, the player hands themselves are arranged serially with each player hand adjacent at least one other player hand. In such an embodiment, substitute cards may replace cards in an adjacent hand.
After substitution, if any, the player is rewarded based on the final poker hands. For example, in one optional embodiment, a fixed paytable is utilized such that players are rewarded based on the final poker ranking of each individual player hand.